Hemlock
by AFortunateJinx
Summary: AU. Jason was just trying to survive, it's hard living on the street, you know! An accident while he was sneaking around changes him irreversibly. Well, at least Ivy's got his back now...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Gotham's streets are not kind. Kindness doesn't pay for food and shelter, nor can it protect you from the thugs, pimps, and crazies that stalk the streets like jungle cats. To survive on Gotham streets, you must be willing to make decisions. Decisions that will keep you up at night. Decisions that will make you lose a part of yourself, or even change you. The most important thing to remember: Gotham does not discriminate against age.

Jason knows this better than anyone, though he hasn't been on the streets too long, it's not a hard lesson to learn. Catherine, his mother, died from an overdose one year ago when he was 8 years old. Since then there have been many sleepless and hungry nights, but the desperate will always find a way. He's gotten through them by doing small jobs for some thugs, pickpocketing, stealing from stores, and working with the girls, on occasion (they understand how hard it is, so they don't say anything). Tonight, however, is different.

"'Ey, shorty! Come 'ere for a sec!" called Tony. Tony was a lower level soldier for Falcone, he usually gave out small jobs for the street rats, since they could get in and out of small places easier with their emaciated bodies. Jason was Tony's go-to-guy for the more profitable jobs; Tony like him a lot (enough to be a regular John, but that was to be kept _quiet!_ ).

"Yea', Tony?"

"Ok, kid, I got somethin' _good_ for ya!" Tony said excitedly with a sleazy smile.

"'s that what you think that thing is?" Jason asked sardonically while pointing at Tony's lap.

"Fuckin' Christ, kid, you're a nasty piece a work…" Tony sighed, "Anyway, Falcone wants to send a message to the crazies 'round 'ere, ya know, show 'em they ain't untouchable. So, here's the deal, I want you to either steal something from da bat's car or that plant lady's newest hideout. You do a good job and you'll get a more than you could ever want, sound good?"

" _WHAT_?!" Jason yelled, "Tony, did ya go _nuts_?! I'm not goin' near that fuckin' tank! Only an _idiot_ would try to gank somethin' from that thing, I've seen it fry any losers who even look at it wrong!"

"Hahaha! There's that Crime Alley accent!" Tony laughed, "Fine, fine! You can take somethin' from that freaky plant lady, just make sure to grab somethin' _good_! Her new place is that by old fuckin' overpass off the Bowery!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Jason said dismissively.

It didn't take Jason long to get to the Bowery, when you live on the streets you can find short cuts everywhere. Poison Ivy's hideout was also pretty simple to find, especially since the building was completely engulfed in vines. Once Jason in through the window he snuck into her 'lab' (if you can call shelves of beakers holding multicolor liquids and potted plants a lab). He was looking for something that looked important when he heard yelling, causing him to dive behind one of the shelves.

"Stop!" a gruff voice roared.

"Get back here, Ivy!" another yelled; this one sounded young, probably in his early to mid-teens.

Just then Ivy burst into the room panting from having to run all over the Bowery. She stumbled from exhaustion and fell to the floor. Collecting herself she turned onto her back to stare at the door where a looming shadow now stood. "You chase me for only avenging those who can't defend themselves!" Ivy screamed in rage at the shadow.

"No, we chased you because you poisoned the board of directors for Gotham Oil." The shadow grunted out.

"They were going to cut down an entire forest for a facility they don't need, _those_ _ **disgusting monsters!**_ " Ivy spewed with hatred.

"Come quietly, Ivy." The shadow stepped into the light, revealing it to be Gotham's one and only Dark Knight.

"Yeah, make it easy on yourself!" Robin said, stepping out from behind Batman's massive figure.

Ivy stood with a furious look on her face and raised her hands in the air. A moment later vines covered in long, razor-sharp thorns slithered in from all around and charged at the dynamic duo. Batman leapt into action dodging the vines with ease, while Robin jumped and twisted his way through the tangle of vines. They quickly charged through the storm of vines and simultaneously met right in front of Ivy, Batman landing a brutal kick to her chest while Robin smashed his fist into her face. Ivy was knocked through the air and rammed straight into the shelves behind her toppling them over.

Just as Batman was about to retrieve Ivy an ear-piercing shriek split through the air from Ivy's direction. He sprinted to her to find she was unconscious, but the screams persisted. He lifted Ivy off the shelf and propped it up to see underneath it, "Dear God…" Batman muttered horrified.

"Batman…?" Robin asked confused.

"Robin, call an ambulance!" Batman ordered.

While Robin was contacting the ambulance, he peeked over at Batman only to see him crouching by whoever was screaming. When he told Batman that the ambulance was coming he finally saw the person who was screaming. It was a little boy, maybe around ten years old, he was covered in glass from the beakers that shattered when the shelf fell. The kid's screams were horrifying, like he was a victim from a slasher movie. When the boy finally fell silent Batman stood and stalked to Ivy with a furious look on his face.

" _ **Ivy**_!" Batman roared in her face until she woke up. "Care to _explain_?" he asked lowly gesturing to the boy.

When Batman showed her the boy she looked absolutely flabbergasted. Her mouth hung open as she looked at the small boy and muttered unintelligibly.

"What'd you say?" Robin asked confused.

"He's connected…" she murmured stunned. She looked at the boy for a few moments before a warm smile escaped her lips.

"What're you talking about?" Batman growled at her.

"I'm taking him." Ivy said suddenly.

"…excuse me?" Robin questioned, completely flummoxed.

The look in Ivy's eyes alerted the dynamic duo, but by then it was much too late. The spores above their heads spewed pheromones, causing them to lose consciousness. "I said 'I'm taking him', bird-boy." She replied with a cruel smile on her face. _Those spores will only work for a short time, I must grab him and leave!_ She thought rapidly.

She came over to the boy, who's skin was starting to discolor, and scooped him up. "Come, little bud, you and I will protect The Green together." She whispered into his ear. Ivy sprinted from the dilapidated building holding the boy to her chest, desperate to get away from those who would take this sprouting bud from her. _I must never let him be taken from me, he and I are too much alike, he will need my guidance._ She thought determinedly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

For the first time in Jason's life he felt… safe, though a bit isolated. Like he was being protected, but more of his guardians were crying out from a far distance. Guardians? Jason's never had guardians, even his own biological parents barely cared for him when they were alive, so who are these guardians? His head hurt too much for such difficult thinking, so he lost consciousness again. However, if he were to have opened his eyes he would have seen his guardian in all her verdant glory.

* * *

Ivy was both glad and livid by the fact that this kid was so emaciated, glad so she could run as fast as she is and livid because it shows he was treated poorly in his short life. As she ran she gave his body a once-over, just to make sure he wasn't somehow fatally wounded; she did not want someone like her dying! She just found him! For Ivy, meeting another person who can connect with The Green is like finally meeting another human after being trapped on a deserted island for a couple of years. _I've gotta get us out of here, or we'll be separated!_ She thought desperately.

It took hours, but she finally got to her safehouse underneath a toolshed in the Robinson Park district. No one, not even Batman, could find her within Robinson Park, it was like her own little kingdom within this city of death and decay.

The safehouse, despite being underneath a small toolshed, was quite spacious. You could fit a fully loaded semi in here and still have room for a taxi. The room was absolutely covered in her mutated plants, who welcomed her and her guest warmly. Trees bloomed brightly in here, despite the lack of sunlight, causing the air to be fresh and invigorating. _Much better than the smog of Gotham…_

Ivy placed the kid down on a bed of vines and watched as the plants clung and comforted the boy. _If that isn't enough proof of him being connected, then I don't know what is…_ Usually, the vines would extend their briars and tear into any creature that dared to lay upon them, but the vines just caressed the boy lovingly like they would do to her. The whispers of The Green hummed contentedly being near another being like her.

"For the time being I suppose I'll make something for us to eat." She decided while heading off in the direction of her 'kitchen'. The kitchen was actually just a garden with a vast assortment of juicy fruit and vegetables. The trees and vines swayed in her direction as she nimbly traversed through the vast utopia of green.

Just as she was strutting her way back into her 'living room' she heard a small groan. She hurriedly sprinted over to the small body that laid staring blearily at the ceiling. She could see the boy slowly start realizing his surroundings, his eyes swept the room in a panic before they landed on her. As soon as his eyes land on her they open drastically giving her a good look at his wide blue-green eyes. His entire posture screamed out his tension at realizing he was by himself with the infamous Poison Ivy. Opening his mouth, he released only one word, "SHIT!"

His reaction caused her to release a small giggle, "Hey there, little bud." She greeted warmly, "How are you feeling?"

Jason was stunned by the sight in front of him. Poison Ivy, the villainess, was crouched beside him giving him a smile that made him lightheaded. What the hell was he doing so near someone who could kill him in the worst ways possible with a genuine smile on her face?! Her question further stumped him. Why would she care about _him_ of all people? He didn't even remember meeting her… _Oh, wait!_ "Hey, uh, what happened?" he asked trying to be polite to the scary plant lady.

"You were snooping around in my lab, weren't you?" Ivy asked, completely ignoring his question.

"If I ansa' honestly could ya promise not ta kill me…?" Jason asked with cold sweat forming on his back. _Well, it's official life is a cruel bitch…_

"Of course, I won't kill you!" Ivy said, slightly offended. _Well, at least this means those filthy monkeys are scared of my wrath…_

"Huh…?" Not only was she not going to kill him, but she was mad at the idea he thought she would…? What the fuck is happening?!

Ivy looked at him for a few seconds before sighing, "How much do you remember before you woke up here…?" she asked while implying that she wanted to know his name.

"Oh, right! I'm Jason." He introduced himself, he would've used a fake name if he thought about it, but he just feels strangely comfortable in her presence. "I remember you leadin' the Bat and the 'boy wonder' back to your lab. You tried to escape from them, but they got to ya, then ya fell back onto…" Jason's eyes widened when he remembered the massive amount of pain the colored liquids caused him. The more he thought about it the more infuriated he became, _those bastards dumped that shit all over me! I don't give a shit if it was intentional or not, that fuckin_ _ **hurt!**_

"That settles it, you're staying with me." Ivy said with satisfied resolution.

"What are ya talkin about?!" Jason asked angrily.

"This." Ivy said, holding up a small hand-mirror for Jason to see himself with. The boy he saw in the mirror had his face and hair, but the boy's skin was sage instead of his normal pale complexion. The boy's eyes were now a striking green instead of the dark blue-green he was used to. It wasn't a proud moment, but Jason didn't realize it was him until he watched the 'picture' blink.

"Wh-what happened to me?!" Jason cried out, tears starting to creep into his eyes.

"The chemicals in the beakers that poured on you changed your genetic make-up. This is the result." Ivy said motioning to the mirror. Jason seemed at a loss for words so she pulled him to her and held him tightly, "Now you are like me. You can do amazing things now, Jason. Stay with me and I'll show you how to use your powers." She whispered lovingly to him as she stroked his hair.

She and Jason laid there on the vines for hours just holding each other. Ivy knows his pain, she knows all too well what it feels like to wake up and see that she became something she didn't understand. At the time of her transformation she would have killed to have had someone there to comfort her and tell her how amazing she had become. No-one, but The Green, came for her, now she has the chance to give Jason what she did not have: A guide and protector. After a while she felt Jason nod against her shoulder, "Ok" he murmured, sounding much more determined than earlier.

* * *

It has been months since anyone has seen Poison Ivy and the boy that she fled with. Not much has changed though, besides the guilty conscious of Batman and Robin, which only got heavier the longer no word of the plant manipulating woman surfaced. It had been a decently normal night for the dynamic duo: a couple of robberies, one or two murders, and a few cases of gang activity, but otherwise nothing too big happened. Until the reports of a mass poisoning of ACE chemical administrators caught their attention. When they reviewed the CCTV footage of the conference room the administrators were in both of them were flabbergasted to see the perpetrators. On the screen were two people. One, a sensual bodied woman wearing leaves and vines as clothing: Poison Ivy. Two, the young boy they had been searching for, he was also wearing leaves and vines as clothing. The two plant clad poisoners strutted into the room and touched each administrator, who soon started convulsing and fell to the ground dead. After every administrator was killed the two poisoners laughed with each other and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Ivy is absolutely enthralled with the boy she picked up. His ideas were either lovably outlandish, like completely encompassing certain areas of the city in plants, or spine-chillingly remarkable, to the point in which she wondered why she hadn't thought of them herself. The boy had unknowingly imbedded himself so deep into her heart that it was difficult to imagine being without him, this causes her to sometimes concede to some of his demands, like eating more than just plants (she doesn't know what the appeal of meat is, but the look on Jason's face as he dug into the burger she 'acquisitioned' was adorable). If there is one thing that she is reluctant about keeping the boy it is that he is easily able to sway her.

For example, since Ivy has gotten the boy she hasn't committed has many crimes as she used to. No random attacks on oil companies, no slaughtering of clearcutting crews or construction companies, not even the occasional theft of rare plants! That can be attributed to Jason, as he pouts whenever Ivy does something unnecessary, but when the crime is obviously justified, like the killing of those ACE chemical dogs, Jason actually enthusiastically participates. _Such a troublesome little bud I've taken in…_

On positive note Ivy has found that the boy is quite the quick learner, he has already learned how to manipulated the growth of the plants around him. Though he can move and manipulate their growth he hasn't picked up on how to mutate them yet. He doesn't look discouraged when his efforts are wasted, maybe slightly frustrated, but he continues his training to channel his powers with much gusto.

 _He has a long way to go before he reaches my level, but that's not so bad, is it?_ Ivy thought fondly while overseeing Jason's newest experiment.

Just as it looked like Jason was about to finally achieve his first mutation he stiffened sharply and stared with panicking eyes at the root of a willow that protrudes from the far wall. He watched the root with laser-focus before looking at Ivy worriedly, "They're comin', Ivy!"

Ivy stiffened as well and started to plan their escape just in case they were truly found. If there is one thing Jason outclasses Ivy in it would be his connection to The Green, while Ivy did have a deep connection with The Green that only deepened day-by-day it paled in comparison to Jason's that was naturally close. After confirming that their guests were zeroing in on their position she sat up with a snarl and started gathering up important specimens that couldn't be replaced. "Get your things, little bud! We need to go!" Ivy shouted over her shoulder to Jason, who was already sprinting around their garden grabbing what he could.

Their 'guests' were already at the door of the tool shed clad in their gear with filtering masks. The Dynamic Duo seemed intent on their capture since their culling of the ACE dogs; which baffled Ivy as those scum have been illegally dumping waste into Gotham waters for years and no-one has said anything, but when they took it into their own hands to correct wrong-doings they were branded monsters (thank you Vicky Vale). _Hypocrites!_ Ivy cursed in her head as she finished packing.

Just as she and Jason were about to leave they heard the floor of the toolshed being forcibly broken causing them to dive behind one of the mutated trees to avoid being seen. Ivy was furiously brainstorming an escape plan without incorporating the plants here (if they were used it was highly possible that Batman would torch them after their capture) when she felt Jason tug her ear to his mouth and whisper his plan. The longer she listened the more the devious smiles on their faces grew, when he finished telling her his plan she whispered back to him, "Do it."

As soon as she finished whispering her consent Jason started crying. He stumbled from out of the cover of the tree with large tear streaks cascading down his face, "H-h-help! Anyone!" he screeched painfully. If Ivy didn't know it was an act she would have ran to his aid immediately, but as Batman and Robin didn't know they did just that, though while keeping a healthy distance.

"Hey, kid, you ok?" Robin asked soothingly.

"Where's Ivy?" Batman growled, not completely fooled by Jason's act.

Not deterred by Batman's continued suspicion, Jason kept the act up, "Y-you g-gotta get me outta here!" he cried pathetically, "She left a b-bit ago… it - it hurts…." He whimpered while clutching his head.

"C'mon, B!" Robin complained at Batman's lack of empathy. "Look at the little guy! We gotta help him!" Robin got close and hugged Jason while muttering comforting words while shooting a small glare at Batman. Batman ignored the two and scanned the area for a moment. Probably sensing the movements of Batman through The Green Jason went limp and started muttering causing Robin to draw Batman's attention.

While Batman and Robin were distracted by Jason's act, Ivy silently maneuvered herself to her small lab behind the vigilantes. There were many vials of plant extract; she carefully checked each vial for the specific plant and took as many as she could carry.

"What's he saying. B?" Robin asked worriedly.

"…G…t…a" Jason muttered weakly.

Foolishly, Batman got on level with the boy and spoke as softly as he could, "What did you say?"

Once both vigilantes were within grabbing distance Jason's eyes flew open and his mouth stretched into a mischievous and deadly grin, "GOT YA!" he yelled as he clutched at the Kevlar of Batman and Robins' armor. Before they could retaliate Ivy tossed a couple bottles of Oleander extract at their backs while she and Jason cackled.

Once the bodies of the vigilantes were incapacitated she and Jason sprinted out of the garden and up into the park, not slowing despite their cackling that was wracking their bodies. They made it to Crime Alley before they had to stop and catch their breath. They laid back against the alleyway wall and laughed breathlessly, Ivy holding Jason in her lap and stroked his head listlessly. It took a few minutes, but the reality that their garden was discovered eventually sunk in; their laughs quickly turned anger.

"What're we gonna do now?!" Jason growled as low as his prepubescent voice could go.

"We will have to build a new garden." Ivy said tiredly, though her anger burned just as bright as Jason's in her eyes.

"Where 're we gonna go?" Jason asked, his adrenaline falling away giving way to tiredness.

Before Ivy could reply, a dark voice answered from above, "To Arkham."

Both of their heads snapped up and saw the dark knight and the boy wonder standing over them, "How?!" Ivy yelled while shielding Jason behind her back.

Batman didn't answer her he only swept down and knocked her to the side. Ivy's head smashed violently against the dumpster they had hide near, she didn't get up. Jason scrambled to her side and placed himself between her and the dynamic duo. He leaned down and whispered worriedly into her ear, "Ivy…? Ivy are you there?" he asked hesitantly. When she didn't reply he got more frantic, "Ivy, Ivy please… please answer me!" Still no answer, she laid still, too still, "…I can't do this without you…"

Batman approached the, now sobbing, boy cautiously, "Come quietly and she will be treated immediately."

When Batman got within 5 feet of the boy and Ivy the boy stood with his back to him, "Don't. Come. Any. Closer." The boy ordered coldly. When Batman didn't slow his charge, the boy's hand flew into the air.

At the boy's motion a thick vine exploded from the ground and separated them. The vine grew briars from almost every inch of it and lashed out at the vigilantes if they got too close. During this time, the boy leaned down to Ivy and held her motionless body close. As his cries increased, more and more vines emerged from the ground to protect the plant-users. Before the boy's cries could reach its climax Robin nimbly dove through the vines and struck the boy across the head, knocking the boy into unconsciousness causing the vines to still their motions.

Once they secured the criminals and assured Ivy's survival Robin turned to Batman with an unsure look on his face, "Sooo~… What're we gonna do with this one?" he asked while motioning to the boy.

Whatever question Batman had anticipated it certainly wasn't that, "We take him to Arkham…" he replied with tension in his voice.

"Arkham?!" Robin exclaimed, "Are you sure, B…? I don't think that's a good idea…"

"If the staff can't care for him then they will transfer him to a facility that can." Batman said while carrying their bodies to the Batmobile.

The ride to Arkham was tense, halfway to the facility Ivy woke up and started panicking until she saw the unconscious body of the boy next to her. What the duo saw next shock them, the usually cold and distant Ivy start crying and holding the boy to her chest. She tried desperately to wake the boy, almost as desperately as the boy had for her in the alley. Neither Batman nor the boy wonder had ever seen the femme fatale react that way towards anything that wasn't a plant. When the boy awoke and heard where they were going he held onto Ivy like she was his lifeline.

Soon enough, they arrived at Arkham and trudged them into processing. When everyone took notice of the boy they were awestruck at the bond that the two plant elementalists shared. A guard tried to separate the boy from Ivy and received a quick, but vicious, punch to the jaw from the furious looking boy. When told they were admitting the boy, all the guards and doctors were stunned that they were receiving such a young patient, but as there isn't any institution for minors so they were required to take them in.

Gordon approached and led Batman to the side, "Is that who I think that is…?" he asked neutrally.

"Yes, that's our mystery boy." Robin replied from behind Batman. They had tried searching through any databases they could find, but it was like the boy didn't exist. No paper trail, no electronic footprint, not even a DNA analysis could be found to compare with the boy (not that the last one would do any good, since he changed).

"He's certainly… attached…" Gordon commented, staring at the boy who had come from nowhere and his strange bond with Poison Ivy.

In the processing area a doctor was smiling softly at Jason, who stared back disinterested. "So, Sweetie, what do we call you?" the young blonde woman asked.

"What?" Jason asked confused, "What're you talkin' 'bout, blondie?"

"Oh, you know! There's Two-Face, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy… So, who are you?" The doctor asked enthusiastically, she was fascinated that they had such a young patient; she just had to analyze him!

Jason stared past the behemoth guards who stood on each of his sides to Ivy, who was going through the motions of her processing with a regal air. For a few moments he just stared before a devilish smile creeped onto his face and he turned back to the young doctor, "Call me Hemlock. And you are…?"

"Oh, right! I'm Dr. Harleen Quinzel." She said proudly.

"Too long…" Jason complained, "I'm just gonna call ya, Harley."

"That sounds…" Dr Quinzel paused with a complicated look on her face, "That sounds great." She smiled brightly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

If there is one good part about being trapped in Arkham it is that the company is interesting. With people like the Penguin and Two Face walking around you can be assured that conversation is never dull, especially since most of the inmates can't stand each other. One good thing about Jason's time at Arkham would be the free education. So far, he has received the best schooling that can be given within the looney bin; his crime alley accent only appears now when he gets very emotional. Another good thing about Jason's confinement at Arkham is that he won't be separated from Ivy, it has been deemed beneficial for Jason and Ivy to spend time together as it makes them both more manageable. If there was one thing Jason could do without it would be a certain guard named Randy.

Randy is a disgusting human being, who likes to taunt, mock, and pester most inmates for kicks. It seems that Randy's body knows how much of a scumbag he is as the man has a very unimpressive body structure, _it is a wonder how he even got the job…_ Unfortunately, Randy has taken a special interest in Jason.

Jason has seen that look in a man's eye before, he's not proud of it, but he would get that look quite a bit when he was working the corner with the girls. It is certainly not an innocent stare, it is perverse and disgusting. "Hey, squirt!" a whiney voice called. _Speak of the devil…_

Jason didn't answer the leering man outside his cell he just kept reading the book that he had ordered from the library. _I adore The Green with all my heart, but I love the stories that humans print on paper, enough not to be angry at the loss of a tree. Ivy would be furious if I admitted that!_

"Awww is the little plant freak not gonna respond to his vicious bully?" The skinny man jeered from the safety beyond the bars.

"…going to…" Jason muttered absentmindedly.

"Huh? What was that?"

"It is: 'is the little plant freak not _going to_ respond'. Not: 'is the little plant freak not _gonna_ respond'" Jason corrected. He then looked over the top of his book and said smugly," You're not that smart, are you? No wonder you're stuck at such a dead-end job!"

"You little…!" Randy seethed from the other side of the bars. "Just wait until I get my hands on you...!" _Uh oh, must have struck a nerve, how…. Interesting, I'll keep that in mind…_

Jason didn't respond to Randy's provocation he just laid his head back on his pillow and listened. For a moment no sounds came, except for the usual sounds of the Asylum, but soon the whisper came. _Where are you, friend? I promise to treat you well!_ Jason called, sweetly, through The Green's connection.

From the upper corner of the room, just above the cell door, the whisper spoke again. Just inside that wall a plant grew, barely the size of a grain of rice, but it is there nonetheless. Its newborn life is weak, but stubborn; Jason just needs to reach out and it could burst through the wall, but he must not act recklessly just yet. _I can't leave without Ivy!_

"Ugh, you brat…" Randy snarled, "Just get ready! You're getting let outta your pen."

This part of the day was what Randy probably lived for, this is the part where Jason has to change clothes. The night-shift guards have the decency to look away, but not Randy, he just stares at Jason as he changes.

Jason's physique has changed dramatically since his connection with The Green, just over a year ago. Any signs of emaciation have disappeared completely and he has gone through a major growth spurt. Jason's now 10-year-old body is just shy of 5' 1", already passing Penguin in height, and around 100lbs of muscle. The Green has improved his body, not only in structure, but in appearance if some of the female doctors' and guards' comments are to be believed. Unfortunately, Jason's good looks have also attracted the attention of Randy.

After changing, Jason was led to the isolated recreation hall where all the powered and hostile patients are taken. It didn't take long for Ivy to snatch him up in a hug and lead him over to the sunniest part of the room, which was the window that had electrified bars, plexiglass, and barbwire covering it. They started their morning routine of pleasantries and teased each other, but Ivy could clearly tell Jason had something important to say, so she just laid back against the wall and motioned for him to start.

" _Have you found your way out yet?_ " Jason asked quietly through The Green's connection.

" _They have been very careful not to drop even a sunflower seed near me, but they can't be staunch about the children underneath the foundation of this pitiful daycare._ " Ivy hummed.

" _When should we escape_?"

" _We may leave as early as tonight, if you are ready._ " Ivy proposed.

" _Cool! We'll leave tonight, then… though don't be surprised if I'm a minute of so later than you would expect…_ " Jason said, a devious grin growing on his face.

" _What are you planning, little bud…? No matter, don't keep me waiting or I'll be forced to tear this miserable cage asunder._ " Ivy sighed.

" _Oh, in that case I'll just wait then_!" Jason teased.

From across the courtyard The Riddler and The Penguin looked on at the loudly giggling plant-users in distaste, "Those bloody freaks 'ave not said a word since they got 'ere, but now they're just laughing!" Penguin said while lighting the cigar that he bribed the staff for him to keep.

"It is quite queer, my cluelessly callow colleague, it is a wonder why I! The Riddler! Am subjugated to loiter with such loonies!" Riddler spoke with grandeur.

"Oh, shuddup, you nut!" Penguin shouted.

"How dare you order me, you repulsive troglodyte!?" Riddler raged at the small man next to him.

It was obvious that this was a common day occurrence since the guards didn't even twitch when the two inmates started throwing punches at one another. Fights were as natural as breathing in this place, the only time when guards were involved is when a superpowered inmate started a brawl; but even then 'getting involved' just means rubber bullets and stun grenades (not too effective on Croc, but you do what you can really).

Soon enough the fight had ended and inmates were sent back to their cells for the night. Before parting Ivy and Jason hugged each other one last time for show, while confirming that the escape would be done tonight. Randy led Jason back to his cell, while spouting shit along the way. "Man, squirt, you really take after yo mom." Randy commented while preparing to shut Jason's cell for the night.

"Who…?" Jason asked confused.

"Ivy? You know, yo mama? What're you stupid or somethin'?" Randy harassed Jason with a smirk, "I guess your thighs were developed more than ya brain!"

 _Perfect chance!_ "Ivy isn't my mom, Randy. We're much too different for that to make sense." Jason said while slowly backing himself up against the wall holding the seedling.

"Oh, yeah? So, what's so different 'bout ya, huh?" Randy smirked while drawing closer to Jason.

"Well, I have black hair, my skin tone is different, and I don't share any facial features with her. Plus, I am ten, so either Ivy gave birth to me at fourteen or I traveled back in time and appeared here." Jason listed snidely. "But I guess that's just too hard a concept for your inferior brain to comprehend!" _Ugh, I just channeled The Riddler… I'm going to have to hit myself later for that._

"Ok, that's enough!" Randy snarled while pushing Jason against the wall. "I've had enough with you! I think I'm just gonna have some fun now… Let's see if you're as good with your mouth as you seem to be…" Randy chuckled darkly while groping at Jason's body.

Randy must have been so lost in the moment that he totally forgot that he was feeling up a powered being, who could kill him easily as he draws breath, because he stilled in horror when he heard Jason's child-like laughter. Just as Randy raised his head to look Jason in the eye, the concrete of the wall was blown back by the pressure of the mutated plant behind it, causing said concrete to crush Randy's pathetic body against the ground. He tried to struggle out, but he couldn't make any progress. "Oh, Randy~" a sinister prepubescent voice beckoned.

Looking up Randy saw Jason stripping from his orange jumpsuit and vines covering him to keep his dignity. _Might as well give him a look of heaven before I send him to hell._ As soon as the vine was done clothing Jason it started slithering towards him, "Randy? Tell me, who is your favorite national hero?" Jason asked him mundanely as if he was asking about the weather.

"Wh-what?!" Randy stuttered out in horror.

"You see, I didn't know much before I started learning from here, so I made use of it and learned all I could. Mathematics, History, English, I love it all! But, I digress, my favorite national hero would be the hero of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes III." Jason stated with a smile forming on his lips. During this time the vine had made it through Randy's pants and now waited at the writhing man's 'entrance', "He was a very creative man, especially when it came to execution… let me show you!"

Randy's pleas and screams echoed loudly throughout the halls, but were ultimately drowned out by the alarm that was blaring. The alarm announced that Poison Ivy has breached her containment and has escaped the facility. By the time anyone went to check on Ivy's accomplice, 'Hemlock', the only thing they found was a guard who was torn up by the razor-sharp vine that had impaled him through his asshole to his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The museum's hallways were completely dark, except the wandering light of a long guard. The guard moved languidly through the halls playing idly with her phone. If she had been paying more attention she would have heard the light footfalls behind her. She was about to turn a corner when she heard a soft voice behind her, "Long night, sweetie?"

She whirled around to see a short, sage skinned, boy smiling pleasantly at her. The boy wore no clothes besides the few vines and leaves that covered his dignity; the sight of the young boy was so surreal that the woman could only look on in a trance. Once she found her voice it came out with a dreamy tone, "Who are you…?"

The boy looked at her with a fond stare, "I'm your friend, silly! Don't you remember?"

The woman was too preoccupied with the wonderful smell that the boy emitted to bother thinking about her connection with him, she decided that no-one who didn't know her would look at her as fondly as the boy was. "Of course, what are you doing here…?" she asked drowsily.

The boy's face flushed in a manner that the woman found absolutely irresistible when he said, "Can't I see my favorite person…? Is that bad…? I can leave, if you want…" the boy spoke with a tearful voice.

The thought of the boy leaving seemed absolutely unbearable, so the woman launched forth and wrapped the boy in a longing hug, "No! No, stay with me!" The sensation of holding the boy was heavenly, she practically buried the boy in her embrace to increase the pleasant feeling he induced.

The boy returned her hug with a relieved smile, "Of course I will! But…" the boy trailed off while looking behind the woman towards the surveillance room, "…your coworkers want to hurt me! They want to hurt me really bad! Please, you have to help me!" the boy begged desperately.

The woman had been working the nightshift with her coworkers for over a year now, they were kind people, but the thought of those men and woman trying to hurt the boy sent her over the edge. She held the boy protectively and snarled out, "I won't let them! I'll kill them if I must!"

The woman released the boy and started stalking to the surveillance room with her baton and taser in hand. As the woman charged to the office the boy looked on with a cruel smirk, "Too easy. Humans are so weak, I didn't even use a lot of pheromones." He said with clear distaste.

Now by himself, Jason set off to the area of the museum that held the rare plant extract that he was seeking. From behind he heard the screams of the woman fighting her fellow guards with vicious tenacity, "Maybe I did overdo it…" he muttered wryly. _Better not let Ivy know, she'd tease me for not having my pheromones in check yet._

He retrieved the rare plant extract easily, placed it in his bag, and began his preparations to escape when a noise down the hall attracted his attention. The noise came from the rare jewels exhibit, "I've got time until the pheromones ware off, so might as well…"

When the sage skinned boy opened the door to the exhibit he saw a woman wearing a skin-tight leather suit standing by a display case, which held a diamond that shined a bright blue. The woman was cutting open the display case with claws that were attached to her gloves, around her lay multiple guards with various lacerations on their faces and bodies. She quickly retrieved the diamond and inspected it in the light that shined near the display case, seemingly satisfied she packed the diamond away and turned to the door only to see Jason. "Uh… hey…?" she greeted awkwardly.

"Oh, so you're stealing shit from this place too?" Jason replied casually.

The woman looked flabbergasted for a moment before asking, "A fellow thief, huh? Excuse me if your appearance didn't imply that…"

Jason looked down at himself before staring back at the thief, "It's comfortable" he defended.

"Uh huh." She replied, "So, what's your deal? Who are you?"

"Isn't it polite to ask someone their name after you introduce yourself?" he snarked.

The woman laughed and shifted her weight while looking around, "How about we get to know each other later? You know, when we aren't in the middle of breaking-and-entering?"

Jason made a look of mock contemplation, "I don't know…"

"How about over some hot coco?" she suggested with a smirk.

Jason responded by giving her a wicked grin. Their bonding moment was broken by the sound of a police siren and a gruff voice magnified by a megaphone, "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!"

They both looked at each other and responded simultaneously, "They here for you?"

"Well, this is gonna be a pain…" the woman hissed frustrated.

The boy closed his eyes and put his hands on his chest for a few moments. When he opened his eyes, he smiled at the woman, "Not if we work together. I know exactly where they are; they're bluffing, it's only two squad cars out there."

The woman was astounded for a moment before returning the boy's smile, "Neat trick, can you teach me?"

The boy was already walking away and motioning for her to follow, "Not unless you want to give up your primitive biology!" he said jokingly.

True to his word, there was only two squad cars outside, one at the front entrance and one at the back. "So, Mr. Superior Biology, where do we go from here?" she had mockingly. She already had a way out, but she wanted to see what this kid could do.

The boy smirked at her with a flirtatious undertone, "How do you feel about charming our way through? You've certainly got the looks, but can you back them up…?" With that said he strutted out the front door with a purposeful yet sensual step.

The woman watched on flabbergasted as the boy sauntered up to the cops, who now looked like they were in a trance. As the boy neared them the officer's faces flushed heavily at whatever the boy was saying, they stepped aside and watched on as the sage-green boy walked past. Taking this as her chance the woman stalked past them as well, much to the boy's amusement and cop's perverse pleasure. She and the boy turned the corner and sprinted a couple of blocks until they made it to an alleyway.

"Well, that was… interesting…" the woman commented. "So, what's the deal? I heard Poison Ivy was a woman, not a smug little brat."

"Your manners are still lacking. I will answer you questions once I get my damn hot coco!" the boy said with mock anger. "So… shall we…?"

"Oh, after you!" she mockingly replied.

They set off to one of the woman's safehouses that was relatively far, so as not to get caught by an investigating bat. The safehouse was actually very well furnished, it was very classically decorated with hardwood floors and warm colored walls. The boy sat on a leather couch that laid just outside of the kitchen. Every few moments a cat would walk through the room with a comfortable gait. A few moments later the woman came and sat next to him while carrying two cups of coco. "So, seriously, what's your name?" the woman asked tiredly.

The boy shot her an annoyed glare before sighing and saying, "I'm Hemlock. And who are you, my S&M wearing friend?" he finished with a smirk.

"Nasty little shit, aren't you…?"

"Well, what am I supposed to think?!" Jason laughed, "I mean, the whip, the skin-tight leather suit, and the claws? Really, what else is there?!"

The woman started laughing at his exasperated joking. She gave Jason his cup of coco while her body was still convulsing with laughter, "So, where 're you from, little guy? You've got that Gotham sarcasm, but the accent seems buried."

"Crime Alley, street rat all the way." The boy said sullenly. When he received a look of understanding from the woman he gave a weak laugh, "I've come far, but I can't seem to get that stink off of me."

"Same here." The woman said with genuine sympathy in her voice. "I'm Catwoman."

Selina and Jason sat and drank their coco in relative silence, besides the occasional 'meow' from the wandering cats. Just as Jason finished his coco he stretched and looked around the room briefly, "This place is nice." He complimented.

"Thanks, kitten." Selina replied, while watching him closely. _Just because I let the kid in my house doesn't mean I'm gonna let my guard down._

"Want me to do something about the smell?" he offered.

"Huh?"

"Don't get me wrong, unlike Ivy, I appreciate a nice place, but it smells like cat piss in here!" he said with a slightly nauseated look on his face.

"Point taken. Well, what are you gonna do?" Selina said with an intrigued expression.

The sage-skinned boy closed his eyes for a minute before standing from the couch and opening the bag that held the plant extract in it. He held one vial in his hand before pouring a small drop into his other hand, "I'm gonna grow an air freshener for you, if you don't mind?"

"Go for it." She said interestedly.

At her permission he concentrated on the drop of extract in front of him. Soon enough the drop mutated into a small vine that grew around his finger, looking at the small sprout with a warm look on his face he asked, "Any particular fragrance that you prefer?"

"Hm…? Oh!" Startled from her thoughts she shook her head before saying, "Uh…Pomegranate?"

"Good choice!" he said as the vine grew bigger and bigger until it wrapped around his entire arm. All along the vine bloomed small pink flowers, when the vine finished engulfing his arm he plucked off a single flower and turned to Selina, "So, Catwoman, where do you want your air freshener?"

Already the small flowers were emitting the sweet smell of a pomegranate, "Could you put it by the door frame over there?" she said pointing to the door separating the kitchen and the living area. "Anything I need to know about it?"

"Just water it every once in awhile and it should be fine." Jason said while letting the flower grow small vines of its own to attach to the wall. Minutes later the room no longer smelled like the drywalls were saturated in cat piss, but instead smelled like a pomegranate orchard.

"Neat trick…" she commented. To be honest she has heard of Hemlock before, but it was rather morbid so she just wrote him off as another crazy, _I mean, seriously?! Sodomizing a guard with a briar vine during an escape?! Is this really the same kid?_ The kid in front of her helped her escape using non-lethal tactics, joked around with her (in perfect synchronization too!), and made her a, desperately needed, air freshener. He did have a sick sense of humor, but every kid in Crime Alley was like that.

"Yeah, I haven't thanked Batman for the powers yet…" Hemlock muttered absentmindedly.

"Excuse me?" That took her by surprise, "Batman gave you those powers?"

"Kinda…" replied the boy while playing with the left-over flowers. "It _really_ hurt!"

The two of them talked for the rest of the night, sharing their stories from the alley, Catwoman teaching him better thieving techniques, and Jason showing her some of the mutations he could perform. Just before the dawn came, Jason left Catwoman's safehouse promising to meet her sometime soon so they could chat again. Months later they would do some jobs together while Ivy was locked up in Arkham.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Jump city has always been a very bustling area. Sidewalks filled with people, stores cluttered with shoppers, and roads packed with drivers. But today someone new walked the street: A thirteen-year-old wearing cargo pants, a white T-shirt, and black boots walked the streets. His skin was pale and unblemished, his short hair was charcoal black, and his eyes were a captivating green. As he walked past other people they would be transfixed by the boy and stare after him, the very air around him seemed to buzz with warmth. In the face of this attention he thought, _Filthy fucking perverts! I change my skin color and wear their despicable clothing to divert attention and yet I'm stared at like a bloody piece of meat! Disgusting monkeys!_

Jason didn't usually think like this, in fact he usually really enjoyed the attention, but he was aggravated since he and Ivy decided to split up for a bit. He and Ivy have different ideas on how to protect The Green; he believes that humans and The Green can live side by side through strengthening and compromise, while Ivy believes that humans are parasitic and must be eliminated in order for The Green to thrive. To figure out which way was best they decided to divide and conquer, he would go to the West coast while she stayed in the East coast; whoever provided the best results would win and they would follow the victor's methods from then on.

So far… he's had less than stellar results…

 _I'm not strong enough yet, I need to increase my powers before I can cause any change,_ Jason thinks with a frustrated sigh. _I have an idea on how to get stronger, but I don't have the materials… first I must find that man, then we'll go on from there._

Before he could think on it further, the bank across the street's door exploded outward and landed in the middle of the street; from the doorway a tall, lanky man stepped out. The man's outfit was black with white stripes on his arms, waist, and neck; on his chest was a cartoonish stitching of a lightbulb. "Stand aside and you will not be harmed!" The man yelled out at the civilians who were watching his escape.

"Not so fast, Dr. Light!" Called a familiar voice. Jason looked down the street to see Robin and four other heroes standing 'triumphantly'. _Well, at least as triumphantly as a bunch of punk kids wearing Halloween costumes while standing in the middle of the street can be…_ "Titans! Go!"

 _Are you fucking serious, right now?! I FINALLY get out of Gotham and the bird-bitch turns out to be here, of all places!_ Jason thought furiously as the Titans started fighting Dr. Light.

Dr. Light fired off energy beams at the Titans while backing towards the other side of the street. One of the Titans, let's call her Oranges for now, flew towards him while throwing handfuls of green energy; however, she was blown back by an explosion caused by the green energy she threw colliding with a beam from Dr. Light. From the side, another Titan, let's call him Tin-man, transformed his arm into a cannon and started firing walls of sound; however, he was also blown back by the explosion and was imbedded into the wall of the bank. Before Dr. Light could reposition himself, a green eagle flew down and tried to strike him, but was ultimately warded off by the energy whip that the doctor now brandished.

As Dr. Light fought off the Titans, Jason repositioned himself behind a car, he wanted to stay as far out of this as he could. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side as Dr. Light rounded the corner of the car and took cover along with him. They both stared at each other for a short moment before Jason saw the flash of an idea in Light's eye. Soon enough Light grabbed hold of him and held him hostage, "Back off, fools! Or the boy learns of the light's brilliance!"

Tin-man and Oranges stood stock still and glared at Light, the green eagle circled overhead, Robin clenched his jaw, and the last Titan, let's call her Hood, floated passively. "Let him go, Light!" Robin ordered Jason's captor.

"Only after you _Titans_ leave!" Light snarled, emphasizing 'Titans' with great distaste.

In a flash all the Titans charged Light as fast as they could, panicking Light accidentally fired his light beam straight into Jason's face. All activity stopped as Jason's pained wails exploded into the area and his body fell convulsing in pain to the asphalt. Soon after this Jason's screams stopped completely leaving the street in silence.

"Y… Y-you bastard!" Jason snarled from his place on the asphalt. When Light shot him, he lost his concentration causing his skin to return to its sage-green color. Slowly rising from the street, he glared upwards at the man while smashing a vial of green liquid that he dug from his cargo pants onto the asphalt. "That. _Really._ Fucking. _**Hurt!**_ " he yelled in fury; at the same time vines exploded from the asphalt where the vial had broken.

"What the- ", Light said in shock before the vines slapped him into the wall closest to him effectively imbedding him in it.

Finally standing, Jason let the vines engulf him and obscure him from view; when the vines retreated Jason now stood clothed in leaves and vines like he always was. "As good as it feels to finally be out of those _things_ I would prefer you not to shoot me again!" Jason fumed while glaring at the, now injured, Dr. Light.

"Hemlock?! What're you _doing_ here?!" Robin asked bewildered.

"Not now, bird-bitch, I have a dirty monkey to skin!" Jason said darkly while stalking towards Dr. Light, who was still trying to collect himself. Jason walked with a purpose towards the light obsessed man; just before he could touch him Light opened up a panel in his chest and a blinding light emanated.

"Do you not see its brilliance, child?!" Light yelled manically into the beam.

"Hemlock!" Robin yelled while attempting to charge into the beam. Hemlock might be a villain, but he was a more cooperative villain (besides the death of that guard, of course).

"Don't bother." Jason's voice sounded indifferently as the beam died down, "You're not that smart, are you?" He asked Dr. Light.

"WHAT?! How are you- "

"Not effected? Maybe you shouldn't use light as a weapon against an enemy with chlorophyll in his blood." Jason suggested with a cruel smirk on his face, "Now prepare to experience pain like no other, you insufferable vermin."

The vines that surrounded Jason visibly mutated, becoming thicker and garnered with razor-sharp thorns. "Hemlock, stop!"

Jason gave Robin a flat look before heaving a great sigh, "Honestly, you take the fun out of everything…" As he said that the thorns on the vines retracted, but continued to envelope Light, "However, that doesn't mean I won't let him off easy!"

Initially calmed due to Hemlock's relent, Robin now tried to run towards the plant-user, but was circumvented by a group of vines that whipped at him, "Hemlock, don't!"

"Robin, who is this guy?!" Cyborg, who also tried to rush Hemlock, was also being fended off by a thick vine.

"Yeah, and why's this poser stealing my image?!" Beast Boy shouted, while avoiding seeds that were being fired at high speeds from a bud that had opened on one of the vines.

"Not the time, Beast Boy…" Raven scolded from the side. She has been trying to get a lock on Hemlock's empathy, but so far, she has been circumvented by the link that the villain shared with the surrounding greenery, _Seriously, individual blades of grass too?!_

"He's a villain back from Gotham, he runs with Poison Ivy! I have no idea what he's doing so far from Gotham!" Robin responded desperately trying to get to the sage-green boy before he could get to the injured Doctor Light. _He's improved his control on the vines to much; I can't get through!_

Suddenly all of the vines stopped their movements and the Titans could clearly see Hemlock and Light. The sage-skinned boy was pressing himself up against the much taller man and leaning the man's head down into a deep kiss. Seeing this all of the Titans, except for Robin, were completely perplexed.

"Eww, dude! Why?!" Beast Boy groaned in disgust.

"Oh… ok, then…" Cyborg said awkwardly.

"Friend Robin, I thought you said that Humans couldn't learn languages that way…?" Starfire said in confusion.

"…I guess they made up…?" Raven said in a monotoned voice. She was very disturbed by the level of lust that Light was emitting for the young teen that was pressed against him.

"No!" Robin yelled in alarm. "TITANS, STOP HIM!" Robin has seen the effects of Ivy and Hemlock's kisses, they lead to only death…

"Robin, believe me, this does disturb me, but what's wrong?" Cyborg asked confused,

"Hemlock's touch is poisonous! Light will die if we don't get him proper attention!" Robin yelled in panic while charging the kissing villains.

Just as Robin was about to strike Light opened his glazed eyes and fired a beam at him, blasting the boy wonder back into his friends, "Stand back, you fool!" Light yelled in a primal rage.

"What the- "

"I'm not nearly as stupid as you may think, boy blunder." Jason said smugly from behind the raging Dr. Light, "As soon as you were done with this idiot you would have come for me. As much as I would absolutely _love_ to catch up and meet your new friends, I have more important things to do. See ya, Bird-brain!", he said as he sauntered away.

"Titan! Hold off Light, I have to catch Hemlock before he gets away!" Robin yelled as he carefully made his way past Light's attacks.

Once he made it through he saw the plant elemental walk into a nearby alleyway, while throwing him a smug look over his green shoulder. As the traffic-light colored hero rounded the corner he found nothing, but an overflowing dumpster and discarded clothes. "This is gonna be a problem…" Robin said with a tired look on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 _This is either the worst idea I've ever had or I'm proving the doctors from Arkham right about that whole 'extremely hazardous behavior' thing,_ Jason thought wryly while standing outside the humungous T shaped tower. _If it weren't for the fact that this thing runs on green energy I think I would level it when I leave…_

It has been a week or so since his encounter with the Titans, or whatever they're called, and Jason has officially given up on finding that man without some assistance. He has tried all of his usual search methods and even stooped low enough to dealing with the oversized children that this city calls villains. _I swear if I have to hear one more word out of that giant nerd, Control Freak, I'm gonna make Randy's punishment look like a mild inconvenience._

Which brings Jason here, the only place that he could think of that would definitely have a way to track down one measly man, _I mean, they must have a lab or a computer or something, how else do they track down the criminals they deal with?_

The sage skinned teen walked up to the door and was surprised to find it totally unlocked. He carefully made his way through the tower suspecting that this was some kind of trap but ruled that out when he found that some of the hallways were ripped apart in places, as if a battle had taken place. As Jason made it to, what seemed to be, a living room he found the most likely reason for the structural damage.

"Hey! Be careful, snot-brains!" a toddler yelled while flailing at lean bodied girl with pink hair.

"Ugh, whatever, Gizmo." The girl responded exasperated, "Just make sure H.I.V.E. sends those improvements for this dump, I wanna send a message."

"They're already on the way, crud muncher." Gizmo replied, childishly.

"Man, I'm gettin' hungry…" a giant ginger haired man moaned from his place on the couch.

"Then get something from the fridge, we own this place now, so might as well." the girl said while looking around the room distastefully, "I can't believe those 'heroes' could live in this slop…"

"Wow, so, it was like this before you got here, huh?" Jason asked, curiously.

"Yeah, I can't believe that they would…" the girl started before whipping her head to where Jason stood, "Wait, who are you?! What are you doing here?!"

"It's polite to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name, you know?" Jason teased. When he saw that the three in front of him were entering combat stances he relented, "Fine, fine! You can rest easy, I'm not a 'hero'."

"Who are you?" The girl asked again while relaxing minutely.

"I'm Hemlock, I got here from Gotham just a little bit ago." Jason introduced, "And you are…?"

"Hemlock…? Where have I heard that…?" The pink hair girl murmured while staring at the teen in front of her. He wore a red hoodie and jeans which concealed the smooth, yet hard looking verdant skin underneath.

"We don't have to answer you, snot-skin! Now, get out of our new base!" Gizmo ordered, while stubbornly ignoring Jason's huff of 'racist'.

"Nah, I don't wanna." Jason said while walking past them to a potted plant that was in the corner. The plant looked fine except for a few leaves that were wilting, but the mere sight of it seemed to warrant more attention than the presence of enemies to this guy.

"Huh?" All three turned flabbergasted as the verdant skinned teen passed them by. They watched quietly as he 'tsked' at the state of the potted plant and retrieved water from the kitchen.

"How hard could it possibly be to periodically water this sweet child?", Jason muttered distastefully while searching through the cupboards for a suitable glass.

The lithe girl and the massive man were still staring quizzically at the plant-loving boy when Gizmo decided to speak up, again, "Hey! Didn't you hear me, fart-huffer?! I said, 'GET OUT'!"

While Gizmo was furiously screaming at Jason, the pinkette went pale (even more than she already was, surprisingly) and tried to stop her teammate, "Gizmo! NO!"

However, it was already too late, Gizmo had already drawn his controller. As he pressed one of the bumpers on the controller a nozzle appeared from his backpack; the nozzle spewed a wave of blinding flames, seeming to engulf the area in which Jason stood. Soon the child-sized cut off the flames and stood laughing at the area where the 'intruder' once stood, "Hahahaha! That pathetic snot-brained loser couldn't do anything!" When he looked back to his teammates for congratulations he saw a look of horror on the girl's face and a look of surprise on the giant man's face. "What?"

"I think they're worried about you" a voice said dryly from behind. Turning around earned Gizmo a swift kick to the jaw, effectively launching his puny body across the room and smashing into the wall. "Aww, the poor baby fell down…" was the last thing Gizmo heard before falling unconscious.

The voice, who manhandled Gizmo, belonged to the person whom Gizmo just tried to murder. The plant-using teen stood with a thick bark shield that looked a tad charred on the front; his clothes were slightly burned but was otherwise completely unharmed. Jason looked impassively at the last two members of the Tower's invaders, while placing the potted plant back down, and spoke once more, "Well? Anymore thick-headed attacks?"

Despite the girl's pleading stare to her teammate, the giant took the next move. He swung his massive arms down at the green-skinned teen with crushing force, however Jason merely sidestepped the attack and moved a few steps back. This altercation continued a few times before the giant grew frustrated, "Sit still, Runt!", he yelled as he charged his quick-footed opponent.

"I'd rather not…" was Jason's unenthusiastic reply, as he threw his bark shield at the Jolly Ginger Giant (he decided to call him that, mentally). The shield struck the giant in the face, but instead of projecting off, like a normal object would, it stuck to the giants face effectively blinding (and muffling) him. Soon after that, the giant then ran straight into a metal wall and knocked himself out.

Turning to his last opponent he gave a sigh when he wasn't attacked, "Are we gonna have a problem, kid?"

"N-No…" Now Jinx is normally a very strong and take-no-shit kind of girl, but if there is one thing that was taught to her at the H.I.V.E. it was this: Do not, under no circumstance, fuck with villains from Gotham. 'Why?', you may ask? Because they are batshit crazy and have been fighting one of the world's most talented (not to mention terrifying) heroes, and sometimes even win! These were not people to fuck with! Nope! No how!

The teen stared at her with piercing green eyes that seemed to disassemble her entire being. Seeming to believe her the teen went back to searching for an appropriate cup, "So, who are you again?" he asked aloofly.

"U-Um I'm Jinx," she said pointing to herself while internally berating herself, _why am I giving him my_ _ **real**_ _identity?!,_ "the big guy, that you made knock himself into dreamland, is Mammoth and the colossal pain, that tried to incinerate you, is Gizmo."

The terrifying existence that was watering a potted plant 'hummed' disinterestedly while giving a loving smile to the wilted plant. "Hmm. Now, was that so unpleasant?" Jason said soothingly to the cowering girl.

"N-No…" she stuttered.

"Then stop sounding like I'm gonna make you eat your own ovaries." Jason said with a joking smile. That statement seemed to only worsen the situation as Jinx gaped at him, "Well, whatever, let's start over, shall we?"

"Um, yeah, sure…?" Jinx responded with a quizzical expression on her face. _My teammates try to kill him and he stands here talking to me like we accidentally ran into each other. Gothamites…,_ she thought disbelievingly.

"Ok, Jinx, here's what's gonna happen, I'm gonna ask you some questions about this place and yourself, then I'm gonna decide what to do with you. Capiche?" Jason said with a gentle smile on his face, which only made his statements more terrifying.

"Y-Yes!"

"So, what you're telling me is that there is a school for talented or empowered kids/teens to attend so they can become either mercenaries or villains?" Jason asked incredulously after a full hour of Jinx fearfully telling all about the H.I.V.E. and the job that she and her idiotic teammates undertook. _And here I thought_ _ **all**_ _villains were mentally ill individuals who were changed irreversibly due to some accident at the factory or due to the 'heroes' fucking up royally._

"It's the truth!" Jinx fumed slightly. She may be still slightly terrified of the plant-user in front of her, but from her interactions with him over the past hour she has found that he isn't likely to mutilate her for a small indiscretion. Probably. "I really hate it there, but at least I get some respect from the two-bit crooks and lesser students…"

"You know that that's no way to gain 'respect', right?" Jason said seriously. "I mean, I didn't gain fear and respect by tagging along with Ivy. I got it by killing the people who disrespected me and out-performing most of the competition." Over the years Hemlock had gained a reputation for not only being a fearsome plant-elemental, but also for killing the mobsters who dared look down on him due to his age (Harley's influence) and stealing materials that were said to be under 'impenetrable guard' (those periodic lessons from Selina really did wonders).

Looking back on it, Jason is probably one of the most diversified villains in Gotham. _Thank you, Ivy, for the wonderous life you've given me. Thank you, Harley, for the chance to make life so fun (and for not being the bag of boners your Boyfriend is). And last but certainly not least, thank you, Selina, for the skills and advice you have passed down to me. I'll be sure to be less of a little shit when I see them again…_ Jason thought briefly.

"Yeah, but…" Jinx tried to refute, but was ultimately cut off.

"Tell you what, if you ever want to go 'big league', or whatever, hit me up and we'll see what we can do together." Jason offered sincerely. "But that's not what I'm here for, so let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

Jinx stiffened up once again when Jason's eyes sharpened into razors, "S-So, what do you want…?"

"I need to use whatever computer the 'Titans', or whatever they call themselves, use for their investigative research." Jason said with a man-eating smirk on his face. "I need you to tell me where that is, then I'll be out of your lovely hair."

"Oh. Uh, ok…" Jinx stuttered out, once again. She was caught off guard by Hemlock's offer and flirt. _I mean, seriously!? He offers to help me with being a better criminal then hits on me?! What the hell's wrong with me? I'm acting like a schoolgirl…_

* * *

Jinx shows Jason to the computer that Robin seemed to use for his detective work before setting off to prep the Tower for her 'message'. While she was doing that, Gizmo and Mammoth awoke with a start and were surprised to have not been killed by the Gotham Villain. For the rest of the day they were sulky and frustrated that someone like Hemlock was able to beat them so effortlessly, except for when Gizmo triumphantly hung Cyborg's disembodied arm on the wall as his 'trophy'. When the sun was at its peak the Tower was now a giant 'H' instead of the giant 'T' it used to be. Hemlock laughed at the building, further angering her teammates, but it was understandable. It _was_ kinda grandiose…

Approaching the languid Hemlock, who was laying on the couch lovingly stroking the potted plant from before, Jinx sat down next to him while studying some of the loot she took from the Titan's rooms. "I swear, some people have no sense of fashion…" she muttered distastefully. "So, you find what you were looking for?" she asked earnestly.

"Yep." The teen replied with a satisfied smirk.

"What were you looking for?" she pressed on. Can you blame her though? Someone like Hemlock crashes through your life, you can't just sit back and let things happen.

His eyes grew amused as he followed something with his eyes, but quickly abandoned it for some reason, "Maybe later." He responded with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, come on! Tell me!" Jinx playfully pouted, "A little hint won't hurt, right?"

"I think you have a bigger problem to deal with…" Jason said while looking over to a terminal that was about 6 meters away from Gizmo (who was throwing some CDs around).

As Jinx looked at where Jason was staring she saw Gizmo's 'trophy' deactivating the security and causing alarms to blare. The cabinets in the kitchen were flying open and slamming shut sporadically. Gizmo was flung back by the force of CDs that now shot out like discuses; when he landed back Cyborg's arm turned the chair it was 'sitting' in towards him. Gizmo was shocked by the remotely controlled appendage so much that he gave the arm the chance to shoot out some cables that quickly wrapped around him, the arm quickly took off and flew both itself and Gizmo into a hatch that was in the ceiling.

Flabbergasted by the turn of events, Jinx stood stock-still even as a shadow in the shape of a claw descended and took hold of her; soon after it lifted her into the ceiling and onto the roof, where she was greeted by Gizmo flying into her face and Mammoth being thrown through the roof access door. "Sorry to interrupt the victory celebration," a serious voice quipped, "but, like I said, this isn't over." Looking up she saw the Titans assemble before her, even that Traffic-light colored hero she saw fall into that pit earlier.

"It's just gettin' started." Cyborg quipped with his leader.

Standing up, the H.I.V.E. trio gathered themselves. "Attack pattern: Alpha!" Jinx commanded her team. _These losers again? Whatever, let's give these do-gooders some really bad luck!_ The young sorceress thought with a sharp smirk on her face.

The battle started with a few waves blasted into the middle of the Titans, unfortunately they dodged away in time. But just because they survived the first attack meant nothing as the villains-in-training pursued their prey closely. Jinx took Cyborg at first before Starfire forced her to retreat with a hail of star bolts. However, Cyborg was given no time to relax as Gizmo immediately jumped on his back. "Hey, Robo-wimp, how you feel about being hacked?!"

"I don't know. How about you?" Cyborg responded unworried, "Robin, NOW!"

At Cyborg's signal Robin pounced down from one of the AC units and threw a disruptor onto Gizmo's backpack. When the disruptor worked its magic Gizmo was electrocuted and spontaneously flew away when his pack malfunctioned.

Back with Jinx, the young pinkette was still being chased around by the alien powerhouse. Thinking she could limit Starfire's mobility within the steel girders that were prevalent within the superstructure, she ran for cover. However, seemingly anticipating this Starfire gave the signal to Beast boy to pounce down in the form of a monkey onto Jinx's head. In her blinded state, Jinx started blasting her magic all around her; the rays collided with practically everything. Finally, Jinx managed to pry the green simian off of her only for the structure to collapse all around her.

Mammoth was being tag teamed by Raven and Cyborg. Whenever Mammoth would attack one of them, the other would blast the massive man across the rooftop. Mammoth looked up in rage only to find himself staring into the jaws of a T-rex; he, understandably, screamed like a little girl and ran away only to run face-first into Starfire's energy blasts. However, the cherry on top was when Robin leapt into the air and kicked him in the face. Mammoth was launched back and landed right on top of his fellow H.I.V.E. students.

Struggling under Mammoth's weight, Gizmo pulled out his transponder, "Cram it! I'm calling Slade…"

"Who is Slade?" Robin growled, giving his best imitation of the trademarked 'Bat-scowl' (truly a hard thing to master).

"Wouldn't you like to know, Barf-Brain…" Gizmo responded with a predictably smug tone.

"Someone you certainly don't want to get involved with, bird-boy." Answered a different voice.

"What?!" Robin yelled, surprised, as he and his team whipped around to see Hemlock lounging against the wall.

"Hemlock!" Jinx said, slightly distressed. "I thought you would have got out of here by now…" _I guess he meant what he said about him and I running together..._

"Yeah, he probably should have!" Beast boy responded, "Now he's gonna get his butt kicked for stealing my look – I mean, being a villain!"

The area was quiet for a few moments as it took everyone a few moments to process that. "Uh, yeah, sure… You may think what you wish…" Hemlock responded with a slightly dumbfounded look on his face. "I must say, Robby, you must severely lack suitable intellectual company from that one…" he said with a wry look on his face.

"Just get to the point, Hemlock." Robin replied angrily.

"Whoa, calm your tits, you walking fashion disaster. I thought you were supposed to be the lighthearted sidekick of the dynamic duo!" Jason quipped to the increasingly furious vigilante. "Well, if you don't mind, I would like to collect my friend over there (you can keep the two idiots) and leave."

"Not gonna happen." Robin replied defensively. "I've got questions for you."

"Ask away, but don't expect answers or try to apprehend me, or you might find you and your friends choking on spores."

"Who's Slade?" The Gotham bird said, disregarding the threat while working out a way to capture Hemlock. _Who knows what he wants with Jinx…_

"International assassin, Deathstroke. I don't know much about him, so you should go ask someone else. That guy is bad for my health." _I don't need someone like him crawling up my ass right now. However, after I get what I want… we'll see…_

"Why're you here?" Robin growled, thinking about what an assassin would want by sending these guys after the Titans.

"That's a very philosophical question, but simple nonetheless. I am here to protect the Green and enforce harmony between It and humans, through any means possible…" Jason responded, his eyes glowing with wrath at that last bit. Strangely he saw the blue-cloaked one flinch slightly. _Interesting…_

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Robin yelled outraged. However, after his initial outburst he calmed down, "Ivy isn't around here, why're you doing this? You don't have to serve her, you know?"

That seemed to light a fierce fire in Hemlock's eyes, "She's never made me do anything; she has been nothing but good to me since the moment you and your freak of a mentor made me into a monster! So, don't you dare slander her name, you pile of garbage!"

Seeing an opening Beast Boy charged forward in the form of a hog. Just as he got close, Hemlock threw a fine yellow powder into the charging beast's eyes. The verdant hog veered a hard left and crashed into a pile of girders not far from the prone Jinx, whom was still trying to free herself from Mammoth's mass.

From there Beast Boy morphed back into a human and laid on the ground staring up blearily into the night sky above him. "Whoa, dude, just… whoa…" he muttered from his position.

The Titans formed a close circle around their fallen member as Cyborg checked on him, "BB, hey, BB! C'mon man, snap out of it!" Their shapeshifting friend was unresponsive; his skin was clammy, his eyes were wide, dilated, and moving rapidly. The only response they could get out of him was 'Whoa… Just, whoa…'

"What did you do to him!?" Robin snarled from his place at the front of his team, Raven slowly floating towards their friend's attacker.

"You know full well he deserved that for attacking me without reason." Hemlock said coldly, but as he looked at Beast Boy he answered again, "I will cure him for multiple reasons, but I want my Pink-haired friend over there in return. Understand?"

Between letting that girl go and possibly letting his friend die Robin already knew the answer he was gonna give (didn't mean he'd have to like it), "Fine!"

Once Jinx was safely over by Hemlock he threw over a small baggy of blue powder his time, "I gave him a fast-acting psychedelic. You must administer that antidote to him slowly over the next two hours or he's gonna be out of it for at least a week, depending on his constitution."

Jason grabbed Jinx's arm and started to walk over to the edge of the roof, "Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Cyborg yelled as he handed Beast Boy over to Raven and Robin.

"Away from here, obviously." Jinx snarked back before Jason could.

"I think this is gonna be wonderful partnership…" Jason said wistfully as he and Jinx made it to the end of the roof.

"So, what's the plan, big guy?" Jinx said as she realized how big Hemlock was compared to her. _He's tall, but not huge like Mammoth, and he's – wait what am I thinking?!_

"Get back here!" Cyborg yelled as he ran after them, despite Robin's orders to do otherwise because: _Dammit, I can't let that little weed get away like this!_

"This." Jason said as he held the young sorceress against himself and let them fall over the edge.

By the time Cyborg made it to the edge of the building, there was nothing left to even signify that either villain was there to begin with.


End file.
